Rexi and Talon

By Onyx Tao

Jack: Rexi and Talon by Onyx Tao is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://onyx-tao.sofurry.com.

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07 Talon

Even the dim light seeping in through the heavy curtains was enough to wake him. Not dawn, not yet, but the cool blue-steel light that preceded it, pushing the heaviness of the dark back, into the corners of the room. He wasn't there, of course, and Talon wondered for a moment, and then remembered that Master Zack had told him that. He'd even sounded regretful. Perhaps he'd meant it.

And perhaps he hadn't. But ... life as a slave might not be so awful, after all. The slips didn't look miserable. Although, how would he know, he'd never bothered to ask, just took them for granted, just took being free for granted, and now ...

He wasn't. Not anymore. Maybe not ever again. And he was good for now, but ... what had Master Zack said? Thirty-six for an orc was dead? Could a half-orc live much longer than forty? Was Master Zack ... how old? He didn't look old, but ... maybe twenty? And own ... be, everything he was? Thirty, maybe?

So he'd be sold again in under ten years? Maybe? Fuck. That was just ... wrong.

"Are you hungry?" a small voice asked. "Master said to ... to bring you some food." A young slip -- halfling, Talon corrected himself -- held up a plate of sliced cheese, bread, and apples. "Daisy's making egg-pie, just as soon as we get the oven working."

"Yes, thank you," Talon said automatically, and then, "where is he? And ... what's your ..." Talon paused. "Let me try again. I'm Talon, and you are ..."

"Ezzie," the girl said shyly. "I know who you are."

"Well, Ezzie, thank you for the food. I heard a little about just how broken everything is, so this is great. And ... is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes," Ezzie said promptly. "Stay in here."

Talon blinked. "I'm not helpless, I ran my mother's store, and did the cleaning and repairing and ..."

"Master said to keep you in here, if we could," said Ezzie. "So ... the most useful thing you can do is stay here. I'm sure there's lots you could do; there's just lots and lots to do. But ..."

"I think I understand. Did he say anything ..."

"He suggested a bath, although you seem pretty clean. But maybe ..."

A bath sounded pretty good, actually. Talon got up, out of bed, and looked around for something like a robe. There wasn't one, of course.

"I'll bring some towels to the bathroom," the halfling said. "And find you some clothes. If ..."

"No, I'll be fine," said Talon with a sigh. "I'll talk to him about it ..."

They were interrupted by the Master's entrance. "Talk to me about ... what?" asked Master Silvercane, stepping through the door. He took his jacket off, and tossed it over the coatrack. "Have you eaten?"

"Not yet," said Talon.

"Then ... talk to me about what. I presume I was whom you meant, yes?"

"Yes, sorry, Master ..." Talon said. "Uh, I just was hoping I could help get the house back. Together. Rather than ..."

"Rather than sit around doing nothing?"

"Yes, Master."

The half-orc continued stripping off his clothes, and tossing them -- carefully -- over the furniture. "No. That's not what I want you for." He paused, looked at the plate, and turned his attention to the halfling. "More than satisfactory. You are dismissed to whatever duties you have."

"Yes, Master," the halfling said quickly, and left.

"Halflings are excellent domestics. If I needed another domestic, I would have acquired additional halflings. You are here to provide for a different need."

One guess what that might be. Talon swallowed nervously. "Yes, Master." The half-orc was now completely naked, facing Talon without concern. He still had on an amber pendant hanging from a black metal chain of close-fitting links, and, Talon realized, an elaborate pattern tattooed on his left hand, running up nearly to his elbow. But nothing else; his skin was the odd gray-green of orcs, with a slightly greasy sheen and an unpleasant, unhealthy-looking, yellow undertone. Other than the necklace and the tattoo, though, there was not a mark; just smooth, unblemished skin over a strongly muscled form.

And that form was ... off, somehow, no, not off, but ... not quite as top-heavy, Talon realized, as most of the half-orcs he'd seen. Zack was muscled, but not like a warrior, with overdeveloped arms built from hurling pounds of sharpened metal through the air. Zack was ... hefty, by no means was he small, but he was developed ... everywhere. Like an athlete ... like ... like an acrobat. Not like a warrior. How ...

"What do you see?" Zack said, interrupting his thoughts. "I see ... surprise in your eyes. What do you see that is so unexpected?" The half-orc snorted. "I suspect you've seen a cock before, have you not?"

That drew Talon's eyes down to Zack's waist. Hairless, like the rest of him, nothing to disguise the sizable length, the skin a darker green, hiding the head in wrinkles. Behind that were his balls, even darker, more black than green. "Yes," Talon said. "I'm sorry, Master. I shouldn't stare."

"I would not find your staring offensive," Zack said with a toothy and somewhat disturbing smile. "I thought you might ... find me a source of fear. Many have." There was a pause, and then, slowly, "Rightly so. Others have not ... but should have."

"You have treated me well, Master, and I would be ... I ..."

"Enough," Zack said, quietly. "Enough. I have said you need not fear me, that I will not hurt you, and I assure you it is so. I can see you are not yet ready for what I want to want."

"Want to want?" Talon asked, puzzled.

"I told you, I desired you conditionally, that the desire was mutual. I will have you on no other terms than your own honest desire -- and I can see, plainly enough, there is none there."

Talon didn't even realize he'd let out a deep breath of relief until after he'd done it, and he looked up at his Master, relieved to see no anger, just consideration.

"Still ..." the half-orc mused, "perhaps you would welcome a kiss?"

"Just a kiss?" Talon asked nervously.

"Only a kiss," Master Zack said, tilting his head. "Because ... I would like to kiss you. A kiss, and nothing more, not even should you change your mind," he added.

"I ..."

"It is your decision," the half-orc said in a deep voice. "If you say yes, I will kiss you, and then I will go to bed. If you say no, then I will not kiss you, and I will still go to bed." A green arm gestured at the light seeping in past the shutter.

"Just a kiss?" Talon asked nervously.

"If you are so fearful of even a kiss," Zack said, sounding regretful, "then I invite you to say no. If nothing else, you will see that you may say no, and I will listen. And that will be good enough for me, for tonight."

"Just a kiss," said Talon.

"Just ..." breathed Zack, who was suddenly standing much closer. Talon had a brief recollection of the half orc moving, growing closer, and larger, until he was standing right over the smaller half-elf. Talon's nose was practically touching Zack's chest. He could feel the warmth radiating from the half-orc, inches away. "No. Not just a kiss. It will be the finest kiss I can manage. The first time I kiss you, to be just a kiss?" The half-orc shook his head, almost sadly. "No. I want this to be the most memorable kiss, a kiss that leaves you trembling with desire, that leaves no doubt as to the passion behind it. No, my lovely little half-human, I decline to deliver just a kiss."

Trembling? Talon realized he was already trembling. "I ..." he managed to get out, and then Master Zack simply sighed.

"Perhaps tomorrow," the half-orc said with more control than Talon had at that moment, and started to move away.

The movement triggered something in Talon. "Yes!" he said suddenly. "I ... I mean, yes, Master, please, I would ..."

The half-orc stilled, turned back to Talon. "Yes?" he asked. "A kiss?"

Talon just nodded.

Zack simply nodded. "A kiss, then. No more, but ... no less." A great green hand reached out, took his, and guided him closer to the half-orc. Another hand smoothed down his hair, ran down his back, cool against the warmth of his own skin.

And then he was touching Zack. His skin was smooth and dry; whatever sheen it had might look like oil, but it didn't feel that way. Not soft, though, not like a human's skin, and certainly nothing like his own.

"Soft," murmured Zack, apparently thinking something similar. "I'd wondered ..."

"Master?"

"Human skin is delicate, compared to mine, and yours is ... even softer. Very soothing," Zack said, stroking Talon's side, running fingers -- even his fingers felt oddly rough -- against him.

"Is ..." Talon paused, trying to find a way to word it that didn't sound insulting. "Is yours ..."

"Orc," Zack said, sounding amused."Very orcish. Fairly resilient; tough. Thick. It requires ..." The half-orc paused, clearly considering something and then just shook his head.

"What?"

"Ask me later," Zack said, and then the side of his mouth quivered in what might have been a smile. "Or better yet, don't ever ask me."

"Sure," said Talon, uncertainly.

"Good," Zack said, his voice low and deep. "A kiss ... is simply touch, hand to hand, lips to lips ..." and then arms stretched effortlessly around the slender half-elf; Talon felt himself lifted up, as if he weighed nothing -- perhaps, to Zack, he didn't. But the half-orc was still careful, almost exaggeratedly so, pressing Talon against him gently. Talon felt the rough lips, the cool smooth brush of a tusk against him.

Just a kiss, Talon thought to himself. Just a kiss. I can do that.

It didn't last long, or so Talon thought at first, the touch of lips to lips, the gentle brush of a tongue against his, and ... it wasn't awful. It was ... almost ... sweet, Talon thought, and then the tongue brushed lower, down to his chin.

No.

Zack wasn't going lower.

Zack was lifting Talon higher. Effortlessly. Letting his tongue trail down Talon's skin, down his chest, what ... what ... what was he doing? What ...

The smooth warmth of a tusk caressed his thigh, then pressed into it. Something warm touched the tip of his cock ... warm breath flowed over it, and Talon realized with surprise exactly what Zack was doing.

But ... and then his thoughts paused as sensation took over; Zack's massive arms held him up in the air, with nary a tremble as his Master engulfed his hardening length. The curiously rough tongue added to the warm, wet heat and Talon groaned, and tightened his legs -

• or tried to, but Zack's grip was unmoving. Talon tried to pull back, or thrust forward, but he couldn't, not until Zack pulled back. "You did say I could kiss you," Zack said with a chuckle. "Or have you changed your mind?"

Had he? No. Talon shook his head, and that was all the encouragement Zack needed to resume. Talon tensed in Zack's grip; he'd touched himself, of course, stroked himself to hardness, thrust against his own fist to relieve the tense need, and this was like that.

Only more so. It was different, when he was ... not thrusting, so much as being pulled in, pulled out -- Zack wasn't moving his head, Talon realized, he was pulling Talon in and out, as easily as Talon might have moved his clenched fist. Only, his fist wasn't as hot, as wet, as slick as Zack's mouth, and of course it lacked the tongue that swiped over and around the head like ...

Talon tensed as the climax came over him, he realized that he was deep in Zack, and fought to pull back, but Zack just pulled him closer, licking him very carefully, until Talon was soft again.

"I'm sorry," Talon said, finally, as Zack lowered him back to the ground. "I didn't mean to ..."

"I meant you to," Zack said, and then something like dismay crossed his face. "You didn't like that?"

"No!" said Talon, and then, "I did, but ... I shouldn't have ..." he grimaced. "You know."

The half-orc looked at him. "I know it's not common in Cheliax, but ever since the, ah, Thrunish reign, non-normative sexual ..." and stopped at Talon's look of confusion. "Obviously not." He looked up for a moment. "Well, normally I do like guessing games as a whetstone for my wits, but it's been a very long three days, and this isn't something I wish to delay. Exactly what is disturbing you, and do not say, you know, because I don't."

"I ... came ..." Talon hated admitting it, "in your ..."

The half-orc nodded. "You came in my mouth? That's what's disturbing you?" Zack said with surprise, and then he nodded. "Oh, right, I understand now ... well, little half-human, I happen to enjoy giving head. I like the taste -- generally, and specifically I like the way you taste. So, unless you decide you don't enjoy receiving it -- you may expect more." A smile flickered over the dark green lips. "You did enjoy it ... yes?"

Talon just nodded.

"So did I. I like the little sounds you make; I like the way your legs tense." The smile returned for a moment. "Much. Is that so terrible?"

Talon shook his head.

Zack took a breath, let it out. "I'd wanted to sleep with you -- just sleep," he added seeing a look of alarm in Talon's eyes. "But ... I think not. Why don't you go bathe, have breakfast, and -- if you would like to come in and join me -- for a nap, a rest, sleep, what have you, and nothing more than that -- you may." The half-orc paused. "If not, have Rexi let you into the library. It probably needs ... dusting, or neatening, or organizing." The half-orc shook his head indifferently. "Or read something."

"Uh ..." started Talon.

"You have your instructions," the half-orc said with a yawn. "I need to sleep. Dismissed."

Talon kept looking back at the door to the bedroom throughout his bath. Go to the library. Make-work. Except ... was that really what Master Zack wanted? Just ... to sleep? Really sleep? Except ... was that really all Zack wanted?

Well, of course it wasn't. The half-orc had made perfectly clear what he wanted ... except, he wanted Talon ... willingly. Was he willing? Well ...

No, thought Talon. I don't want that. So why did he feel a twinge of guilt as he set off for the library?